Don't copy the behavior....

Just playing and having fun on this journal page that is approx. 5 1/2" x 8 1/2".  In the background I have Dylusion sprays through a TCW stencil, dried and then painted over with white acrylic paint.  The background was inspired by THIS video.  I've had sprays bleed through acrylic before but hadn't really thought to do it on purpose.  The top and bottom borders are scallops cut from a book page, painted and then lots of doodling.  The bird-stem-leaves is a Stencil Girl stencil.  I used paint (black, brown, green) to stencil with and then markers inside the bird and stem.  The scripture is computer generated. 

Believe in Yourself - CC3C #3 (and #2)

Hello!!!!  This was made for the Compendium of Curiosities 3 Challenge #3 which is the faux tea roses technique found on page 65 of Tim's book, but I've also included the second challenge (page 56, distress glitter) since I didn't get that one done.  My hanging starts with a 4" x 6" piece of corrugated cardboard and I glued it to a piece of manila cardstock for extra strength.  I used embossing pastes (Wendy Vecchi or Dreamweavers), first silver and then the crackle.  I painted over it with watered Fresco Finish paint Lilac and then used some snowflake around the edges putting it on with my finger.  Along the bottom is a piece of a french grammar book page painted (snowflake) and some distress ink and on top of that is some lace painted and dots of Viva pearl pen in the centers.  My roses are cut from PaperArtsy's Crunchy waxed kraft paper and after they were assembled I dabbed some snowflake paint on with my finger.  The leaves are die cut from grungepaper using Tim's garden greens die.  The leaf stem was cut up, colored with Distress Stains and used the glitter technique.  The quote (Quietfire Design) is stamped with Archival jet black onto another piece of the painted (with nougat this time) french grammar book page.  To give the paper a bit more oomph I coated the back with Glue 'n Seal and then painted it with Fresco Finish eggplant.  There is also some lilac lightly sponged around the edges of the front.  Two eyelets added, some wire for a hanger and a bow (silk ribbon lightly painted with eggplant). 

There are prizes to win with each of these challenges... a random win is a gift certificate from either Inspiration Emporium (this challenge) or The Funkie Junkie Boutique plus there is a generous package for a winner chosen by the curiousity crew of product donated by Tim & Mario.  For all the details of the challenge head on over to our fantastic hostess, Linda Ledbetter's blog.  

Sing Anyway

It's been awhile since I finished a journal page.  This one was started a long time ago with background color and Viva modeling cream pearl through TCW 12x12 Cherry Blossoms stencil.  Then it sat.  I looked at it many times and thought that it's already pretty and I really should finish it... and then I'd walk away.  Last night was time.  I really didn't know where I was going.  First was to get more going in the background.  I added a strip of music paper to the right side and painted (Fresco Finish) over it.  Then I added stenciling with a Wendy Vecchi stencil and white paint (Fresco Finish).  Next I put the cherry blossom stencil back on and added color with Archival Inks.  Along the bottom is another Wendy stencil and archival Inks.  I recently got Dina Wakley's scribbly bird stamps and have been wanting to use them so stamped one at the bottom right.  I added color with Fresco Finish paints.  I was using opaque colors which worked well to cover the background color but dulled some of the stamp lines but since it's "scribbly" it was easy to use a Pitt brush pen and darken them back up.  Highlights were added with a white gel pen.  I wanted to make the flowers pop more so I put the stencil back on again and used a small Pitt pen to go around all the shapes.  Took the stencil off and again went around all the flowers giving a double line, ope on top of the paste and one around the paste.  I stamped the quote (Quietfire Design) with Archival Ink.  Added scribbles around the edges of the page.  Decided I should have more than one bird and used a couple of Wendy stencils and jet black Archival to add them - white gel pen for highlights.  

Thinking of You....

This is an older card I hadn't shared yet. The background is clear embossing paste through a honeycomb stencil (Wendy Vecchi), remove stencil, spray with Dylusions spray and let it dry.  After it's dry brush fluid matte medium over the piece to seal in the spray and make it matte rather than glossy. Stencil (Wendy Vecchi 3 Fresh Flowers) the leaves/stems for the flowers. Stamp Thinking of You.  To make the flowers, color an old book page, punch out flowers, stack together, add a brad to the center, crumple the petals toward the center and then open them back up.  The butterflies are punched from yellow cardstock, stamped a bit on the wings and black dots added to the bodies.  Viva Inka Gold around the edges, attach it to black cardstock and then the folded card.   

The Seeds of Today

This background was started at the same time as the last card I shared.  It's the same technique with the same colors plus the color sherbet (all Fresco Finish paints).  On top of that I've got circles stamped in zesty zing with the bottom of the zesty zing bottle.  Leaves (PaperArtsy Lin Brown) stenciled with a mix of paint (snowflake, guacamole, limelight, zesty zing).  Partial stamping with the flower in PaperArtsy's Lin Brown set #ELB09 using Archival Ink rose madder.  I painted a scrap of paper with sherbet, stamped the whole flower on it with rose madder, cut it out, cut between each petal, ink the edges with rose madder, shaped the petals, and also added a bit of Treasure Gold renaissance on the edges.  There is also some renaissance on the edges of the background.  The quote (Lin Brown set ELB06) is stamped with Archival Ink jet black.  This is layered to colored cardstock and then a white folded card.  Dots added with a Pitt Pen.  The flower attached and the center is a Finnabair flower and a heart brad.

Ten Minutes to Embrace Today

10 minutes because this is a very quick card and, yes, we should embrace every single day!!! 

White and red cardstocks, PaperArtsy Fresco Finish paints in snowflake, lake wanaka, guacamole, PaperArtsy Lin Brown stencils and stamp, Wendy Vecchi's Archival Inks in red geranium and leaf green, Stabilo All pencils, Pitt pen, white gel pen.  

Put a little of each color of paint on the craft sheet.  Use a rough, dry brush to pick up color and brush quickly back and forth across white cardstock, dry.  Dab snowflake paint through dots stencil, dry. Add Archival Ink through flower stencil.  Draw around inside edges of stencil with black Stabilo.  Remove stencil and go over lines quickly with a damp paint brush or waterbrush, dry.  Add white highlights to flower petals with Stabilo.  Add white dots to centers with gel pen.  Stamp quote.  Draw scribbly lines around edge with Pitt pen.  Wrap with red twine.  Add left over heart from another project (punched from red cardstock, white dots, edges rubbed with red geranium ink). Attach to folded red card.  

A Great Teacher

The quote (Quietfire Design) is stamped on Ranger's Specialty Stamping Paper with Archival Ink jet black and then die cut with Spellbinders Fleur De Lis Squares.  The next layer is brown cardstock die cut with Spellbinders Lacy Squares.  Next is white cardstock die cut with Fleur De Lis Squares, inked around the edges with Distress Ink spun sugar and then on the very edge with brushed corduroy.  Next I've torn part of a page from an old dictionary, used both candy floss and snowflake Fresco Finish paints to "stamp" circles (bottom of a mister bottle) and also dry brushed a bit of paint on the edges.  Lastly is our folded white card and I've also dry brushed these edges with paint keeping very little paint on the brush and brushing starting off the edge and coming straight onto the edge.  The leafy stem is cut from white cardstock with the Tim Holtz garden die.  It was painted with a mix of Fresco Finish guacamole and snowflake not totally mixing so you get a variation in color.  The dots (Wendy Vecchi stamp) are stamped with Archival Ink sap green.  

Two Quick Cards

These were fun and quick to make!!  I started with white cardstock, a Dreamweavers stencil (LG907 damask), and barn door Distress Stain in a spray bottle.  I laid the stencil on one piece of cardstock, sprayed on the stain, picked the stencil up, turned it over and laid it on the other piece of cardstock.  Dried these.

The card above is the one I sprayed through the stencil on.  I added black soot Distress Ink around the edges.  Stamped the quote - another from one of the newest Quietfire Design sets, If you don't believe in Miracles, with jet black Archival Ink.  Added faux stitching around the edge with a white pen.  Attached the red ribbon with double sided tape and the black twine with Tim's Ideaology mini attacher.  All this is attached to a folded white card. 

The card below is the piece I laid the stencil on.  The quote, from the same QF set, is stamped with jet black,  The border image is a Wendy Vecchi Studio 490 from the set The Beauty of Art, stamped once at the top and twice at the bottom.  A thin line of black soot Distress Ink around the edges and 3 black metal stickers below the quote.  All layered to a folded white card.  

Fill 'er Up T -- Thanks

Quietfire Design has several new stamps/stamp sets and one of them is this Fill 'er Up T Thanks image.  It's very cool as you can choose to fill the large T up any way you want... color, background technique, Zentangle, embellishments, etc... the list could go on and on.  In fact Suzanne is sharing several different ideas from the DT on the Quietfire Creations Blog today so be sure to pop over and check them.

I've filled my T up using Distress Stains and an old watercolor technique using salt to add design/texture to your color.  I also did the same technique on another piece of paper so I could use it as a layer in my card and everything would match.  The Thanks piece and background piece are both watercolor paper.  I wet the inside of the T slightly before adding in my stain colors (mowed lawn, evergreen bough, and salty ocean) using a paint brush.  While the color was still wet I sprinkled on table salt and set it aside to dry naturally.  I did the same thing with the extra piece (wet it, added color brushing it on with the dabber top this time, sprinkled on the salt and left it to dry).  After the pieces were dry, I brushed off all the salt.  It can help to use a paper towel to rub the salt off.  I added colored speckles to the Thanks piece by picking up stain on a waterbrush and flicking it against my finger.  I edged the piece with Distress Paint tarnished brass.  On the extra piece I added speckles of the tarnished brass paint in the same way as the colored speckles and also edged the 3 straight sides with the paint.  The next layer is off-white cardstock embossed with the Cuttlebug D'vine Swirl folder.  The piece was too large to fit completely in the folder so I embossed as much as I could, then embossed again just what didn't fit the first time.  This leaves a bit of a line so I colored a piece of silk ribbon with the tarnished brass paint and wrapped it around the piece covering that line.  Attached it all to a folded off-white card.  

Embrace Today

Had a little play time this afternoon and made this small (as in not quite 2" x 5") hanging.  I had this piece of corrugated cardboard that was part of the packing in a box and just felt like making something with it.  I tore some of the surface to expose the ribbing.  I used PaperArtsy's Fresco Finish paints (snowflake, zesty zing, tango, london bus, limelight, hey pesto) for all the color, Ranger's Archival Ink jet black for the stamping, and a bit of Treasure Gold renaissance for some shine around the edges.  I stamped an extra flower and the words on a scrap of smoothy cardstock,  The flower, leaves, and little flowers along the bottom are from PaperArtsy's JOFY set #24.  The words are from PaperArtsy's EclecTica3 Lin Brown set #ELB06.  I added a dot of Glossy Accents in the center of the larger flower and on the dots of the smaller flowers.  Punched 2 holes and added some black wire for a hanger.

QF Happy Birthday and CC3C

The Happy Birthday sentiment on this card is from Quietfire Design's new set of Happy Birthday's.  Lots of choices for just the right Happy Birthday and it is available both unmounted and mounted on cling... woohoo!!!!

Linda Letbetter has started a new round of challenges working through Tim Holtz's newest book Compendium of Curiosities 3.  All the details for the challenges can be found HERE.  There are also prizes being given with each challenge and this first challenge is being sponsored by Inspiration Emporium.  Our first challenge is Paint Marbling found on page 43 of the book.  I've done that technique on a #8 manila tag using paint colors shaded lilac, evergreen bough, and picket fence.  Over this I've stamped Wendy Vecchi's vintage doily background with picket fence paint.  Across the top of the tag I've stenciled using a leaf from Wendy's From The Garden stencil and her Archival Ink leaf green.  The edges of the tag have Distress Paint tarnished brass.  The flower is made using Wendy's Art Parts (Just Flowers set and Lots of Leaves set) - painted with Distress paint and stamped with Wendy backgrounds using Archival Ink.  The center flower is a Finnabair vintage trinket.  The brad is colored by heating and adding Adirondack embossing powder.  For Happy Birthday I die cut Tim's tattered banners from manila card, chose one to use, painted it, stamped the sentiment with Archival Ink jet black, added tarnished brass to the edges, and folded in the ends.  The tag is adhered to a folded white card and I trimmed the top corners to match the tag.  

You're Never too Old....

So after yesterdays card I had this pretty paper with a fancy hole cut in it that I just couldn't throw away.  I trimmed it down to a nice rectangle and used it as a frame for the sentiment on this card.  I again used one of QF's new stamps.  It is stamped with Archival Ink magenta hue onto white cardstock.  I glued the frame over it and trimmed the white cardstock even with the frame rectangle and then cut another white piece to layer to... this was much easier than trying to trim to an even border.  I added an edge to both layers with Metallic Distress Paint tarnished brass.  I used another piece from the package of Nestabling... before putting it on, I used my finger to gently rub Distress Paint tarnished brass over the tops of the black crystals... it looks fabulous in person.  Some pink twine, a paper flower, and a black crystal again rubbed with paint are the embellishments and everything is stuck to a folded purple card.

Best Mom Ever - Quietfire Design

Quietfire Design has several new sets of stamps - you can see all of them HERE!!!  Two of the sets are all about Mom... great for Mother's Day or Anytime really!!  Mom's are special and could use cards more than once a year.  I've used a stamp from this set on the card below.

I have a file box full of left over backgrounds, papers made but then not quite right for what I was doing, catch all pieces of paper that were too nice to throw, etc., etc., and I've decided I really need to start digging in and using some of this stuff.  That is where I got the paper for the center piece of this card.  It's left over from a class I taught years ago for Cyberstampers.  You can see it on my picturetrail HERE.  I stamped the image with Ranger's Archival Ink jet black, embossed it with clear detail powder, cut it out using Spellbinder's Labels 20, colored in Mom and the leaves with Tombow markers, inked the edges first with Distress Ink picked raspberries and then after I got further with the card decided to add jet black around the edges.  I cut the next size up die from white cardstock, inked around the edges with picked raspberry, dried it, and added black Nestabling. I layered the center piece on top and added 4 small black crystals.  The green layer is green textured cardstock sprayed with Perfect Pearls Mist perfect pearl.  Since the center piece has shimmer I wanted shimmer on this layer also.  I stamped the leaves (an old unmarked stamp) with Wendy Vecchi's Archival Ink leaf green.  All this is layered onto a folded white card.

Friend

Happy Easter!!!!!!!!!!!  Jesus is Alive Forevermore!!

I've been putzing with this card this week and have it finished.  I was going to say that weeks ago and now I see it's been a couple of months... Quietfire added the dotted harlequin stencil -- background cut file to the silhouette store and I actually cut it right away (I sized it to be about 4" x 8") and then it sat on my counter waiting to be used.  One day I will use it as a stencil but this one I wanted in my background.  I have no idea why as they don't really look the same but it makes me think of lattice... maybe it was the long Winter and I wanted Spring!!  Anyway I decided this week that it would get made into a card and as I was thinking about what to layer it over, I remember some paper towels that had been used to sop up excess color off the craft mat and decided that would be perfect.  I cut a piece of cardstock bigger than my cut background, glued the paper towel to it and after it was dry, trimmed it to the size of the cardstock, glued the cut out to it and then sponged just a bit of vintage photo Distress Ink around the edges.  I knew I wanted flowers and greenery and one of Suzanne's wonderful calligraphied quotes.  As you can see, I chose I wouldn't have missed being your friend.  I stamped it on a scrap of cardstock, trimmed the top and sides, tore the bottom, inked around the edges with Archival Ink orange blossom and monarch orange, and tied twine around it.  The flowers and greenery are cut with Tim Holtz dies.  The greenery is colored with Distress Stain mowed lawn and stamped with a Wendy Vecchi background image using her Archival Ink leaf green.  The flowers are colored with Distress Stain scattered straw in the center and ripe persimmon on the petals and then I also added mustard seed in the centers.  Next I sprayed them well with Perfect Pearls Mist sunflower sparkle and let them dry.  Stacked 3 flowers together, added a brad to the center and then crumpled them up.  Glued everything on and attached it all to a folded card.

As I was getting ready to photograph the card so I could add it here and thinking about friends at the same time, a chorus we sing at church came to mind called I Am A Friend Of God.  I'm thankful to have Him as my friend!!  To have that saving relationship with my Lord and Savior!!!!  

A Flower and a Bird

Here's a card I made some time ago but hadn't shared yet.  For the background I started with a piece of natural sticky back canvas - stuck it to a piece of cardstock and stitched around the edges.  Next I used a Crafter's Workshop stencil and I'm pretty sure some of Wendy's Archival Ink, probably potting soil & cornflower blue.  I also added some kind of yellow, maybe Chrome Yellow Archival.  The text (Wendy Vecchi stamp) is stamped with cornflower blue.  Archival potting soil ink around the edges.  The flower (Wendy Vecchi Stencil, 3 Fresh Flowers) is stencil with Wendy's white embossing paste and after it was dry colored with Archival Inks (cornflower blue, chrome yellow, and fern green).  The grass (Wendy Vecchi stencil, From The Garden) is stenciled onto cardstock with fern green ink, cut out, and a bit more green added to the areas that weren't stenciled.  It was stuck along the bottom to the background and also stitched on.  The bird (Tim Holtz die) is cut from grungepaper, inked completely with Adirondack white pigment ink, dried well, and then colored with Archival Inks.  A black dot and then a small white dot for the eye.  Thread a button, glue it to the center of the flower, and layer the piece to your folded card.

Journal Pages - Working and Becoming

I created this first journal page earlier this week.  I was inspired by a post on Wendy Vecchi's blog HERE and I felt like just playing a little so I did a really quick page.  I made sure it was quick by not letting myself think too much and dragging it on, lol!!!  I punched a large oval to use as mask on the large background stamp while inking it with Wendy's Archival Ink potting soil - stamped it on the page.  Next I "sprayed" Distress Stains old paper and spiced marmalade keeping the old paper more in the center and spiced marmalade around the edges (somewhat).  Since there was color sitting on top of the paper and the page next door was blank, I pulled it over pressing the two together to transfer the extra color and then continued with the page I was working on.  I used Wendy's Stamp-it Stencil-it perfect peony on the left.  I first placed the stencil on and added Fresco Finish snowflake paint through the stencil (this is an opaque paint so it covered the Archival Ink).  I dried the paint and then stamped the image.  I didn't get it lined up exactly but that was ok.  Dried the black Archival Ink and then again used the stencil to add color to the flower - red geranium & carnation red on the flower, fern green on the leaves.  Dried the ink and used a white Sharpie paint pen to add highlights to the tips of the petals.  To add more to the background I applied snowflake paint through sequin waste in the corner areas and used Wendy's Add A Stencil stencil with orange blossom ink randomly around the page.  I stamped a border image on the lower part of the page but got it crooked - too crooked for me to just leave so I covered it with tissue tape, sponged on a little green ink.  Stamped the words and stenciled the bird with jet black Archival.  Stenciled the lines along the top and bottom with potting soil ink. 

I managed a little more play time yesterday and started to work on the page to the left finishing it up today.  I stamped the butterflies with jet black Archival not getting a good impression on the center butterfly so I stamped an extra one on a scrap of paper I could layer over it.  I used an EvoTemplate to draw the square.  The left side of the page was mostly without color and it was too much white for me so I rubbed on a little fired brick Distress Ink along the side and across the top and bottom.  I colored the butterflies using Distress Stains and a water brush - scattered straw on the upper wings, dried marigold on the lower wings and then a little bit of rusty hinge at the bottom of the bottom wings, frayed burlap on the body.  Again used Wendy's Add A Stencil stencil with orange blossom as a filler and also her dots with red geranium.  Stamped the leaves across the top with leaf green.  The words are stamped with jet black.  

And here are both pages together... individual but looking good side-by-side.

A Book For Bethany

I got a call from a friend of ours a week ago.  His neice, Bethany, a tennager, has been battling brain cancer for some time and the tumor was once again growing and the doctors have said there is really nothing else for them to do.  They were planning a prayer vigil for her this past Sunday afternoon and might I be able to make a book that people could sign and write notes to Bethany in.  This is what I made.  He wanted scriptures throughout the book and some decoration and her favorite colors are lime green and purple.  

For the pages I folded 11" x 17" cardstock making the pages 8 1/2" x 11".  The covers and spine are covered book board.  I sewed the book together through the spine with waxed linen thread and added some beads.  

I've included pictures of all the spreads in this post for anyone who wants to see (as I was editing the pics, I noticed that some of them are a little blurry - nothing I can do about that now).  I added color around the edges of all the pages alternating between lime and purple.  Each spread includes a scripture or quote and just a bit of decoration leaving plenty of room for writing and also for them to add some pictures from the day.   

For those of you who pray, please keep Bethany and her family in your prayers.